Maxine Waters Wins Social Media Competition

Rep. Maxine Waters (Calif.) won a social media competition among House Democrats.

In a competition House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) called “remarkable,” Waters won the race to add the most followers on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube in three weeks.

The 2011 Member Online All-Star Competition pit House Democrat against House Democrat as lawmakers vied for the title of “MVP.” This year, Hoyer said in a statement announcing the contest’s results, House Democrats collectively acquired more than 57,000 new fans, followers and subscribers — surpassing last year’s total by more than 14,000.

“Overall, the competition was a huge success,” Hoyer said. “[It] was remarkable, with the leader changing multiple times.”

Of the top 50 highest-gainers, a handful were freshmen, including Reps. Terri Sewell (Ala.) and Cedric Richmond (La.). Rep. Janice Hahn (Calif.), who was sworn in just three month ago after a special election to replace former Rep. Jane Harman (D), came in at number 28.

A number of committees and caucuses also had good showings: the Education and Workforce, Ways and Means, and Oversight and Government Reform committees were top-earners, as were the Congressional Progressive and Hispanic caucuses.

Modeled after a House Republican effort that started in 2010, the three-week social media competition was managed by the Hoyer’s office.